Facts about Jose Rizal

 Born on June 19, 1861, (moonlit night of Wednesday), Calamba, Laguna

 Baptized on June 22 by Fr. Rufino Collantes while the godfather was Fr. Pedro Casanas

 named after the Christian Saint “Joseph”, “San Jose”

 Lt. Gen. Jose Lemery was the governor-general at the time of his birth

 seventh of the eleven children of Francisco Mercado Rizal and Theodora Alonso Realonda

 He was the only member of their family who used their surname Rizal

 Rizal came from spanish “ricial” which means green pasteur or green field

Rizal’s Ancestry

Father side

Domingo Lamco (Domingo Mercado) and Ines dela Rosa

Francisco Mercado and Cirila Bernacha

Juan Mercado and Cirila Alejandro

FRANCISCO MERCADO

Mother side

LAKANDULA

Eugenio Ursua and Benigna

Regina and Manuel de Quintos

Brigida and Lorenzo Alberto Alonso

THEODORA ALONSO

Rizal’s Parents
FRANCISCO MERCADO RIZAL

 Born on May 11, 1818 in Binan, Laguna

 Studied latin and philosophy at the College of San Jose in Manila

 Became a tenant-farmer of the Dominican-owned hacienda

 Hardworking and independent-minded man (less talk, more action)

 Died in Manila on January 5, 1898 at the age of 80.

 Rizal called him “ a model of fathers”

THEODORA ALONSO REALONDA

 Born on November 8, 1826 in Manila

 Educated at the College of Santa Rosa

 Remarkable woman, possessing refined culture, literary talent, business ability and fortitude of spartan
women

 Before her death on August 16, 1911 at the age of 85, the government offered her a life pension which
she didn’t accept.

 Rizal said that she was a woman of more than ordinary culture; knows literature, spanish, rhetoric and
a mathematician

 Francisco and Theodora were married on June 28, 1848 then settled on Calamba where they engaged
in farming and business.

 They reared a big family.

 11 CHILDREN (2 boys and 9 girls)

RIZAL CHILDREN

1. SATURNINA – oldest; “Neneng”; married Manuel Hidalgo of Tanawan, Batanga

2. PACIANO – confidant of Rizal; joined the revolution; retired tohis farm in Los Banos; had 2 children
with his mistress Severina Decena. Rizal regarded him as the “most noble of Filipinos”

3. Narcisa – Sisa; married Antonio Lopez, a school teacher of Morong

4. OLIMPIA – Ypia; married Silvestre Ubaldo, a telegraph operator from Manila

5. LUCIA – married Mariano Herbosa, nephew of Fr. Casanas. Herbosa died of cholera and denied a
Christian burial

6. MARIA – Biang; married Daniel Faustino Cruz of Binan, Laguna

7. JOSE – Pepe; lived with Josephine Bracken during his exile in Dapitan. Had a son “Francisco” who died
few hours after birth

8. 8. CONCEPCION – Concha; died of sickness at the age of 3. Her death was Rizal’s first sorrow

9. 9. JOSEFA – Panggoy; died an old maid at the age of 80.

10. 10. TRINIDAD – Trining; died also an old maid in 1951 at the age of 83.

11. 11. SOLEDAD – youngest; Choleng; married Pantaleon Quintero of Calamba

12. keyword: SPNOLM-JCJTS

IS RIZAL FAMILY AFFLUENT?

 Their house was one of the distinguished stone houses in Calamba

 2-storey building (adobe stones, hard woods, roofed with red tiles

 Behind their house were poultry and a big garden

 Farming and stock raising (livelihood)

 Belonged to the principalia

 managed a general goods store, small flour mill and home-made ham press

 Owned a carriage and private library (largest in Calamba)

 Children were sent to colleges in Manila

HOME LIFE OF THE RIZALS

o Rizal family is simple and contented

o They are intimately close with each other

o Rizal called his sisters senorita or senora or dona

o Rizal’s parents were strict

o The family hear mass every Sundays and Christian holidays

o Prayed together at home especially the angelus

o Given time to play in the azotea or in the garden with other children

CHILDHOOD YEARS IN CALAMBA

CALAMBA

 cradle of the national hero

 named after a big native jar

 hacienda town owned by the Dominican Order

 south: Mt. Makiling

 east: Laguna de bay

 north: mountain shrine of Antipolo

1876: Rizal was 15 years old and a student in Ateneo de Manila

- wrote a poem “Un Recuerdo A Mi Pueblo” (In Memory of My Town)

CHILDHOOD MEMORIES

Rizal

– Frail, sickly and undersized child

- His father built a nipa cottage in the garden

- An old woman was employed as aya

- His mother taught him the catholic prayers

- Called as “Manong Jose”

- Used to visit Fr. Leoncio, the parish priest

June 6, 1868 (pilgrimage to Antipolo)

- First trip of Jose across Laguna de bay and first pilgrimage to Antipolo

- After praying at the shrine of the Virgin of Antipolo, Jose and his father went to Manila to visit his sister
Saturnina

STORY OF THE MOTH

 “A MARTYR TO ITS ILLUSSIONS”

 TO SACRIFICE ONE’S LIFE FOR IT IS WORTHWHILE

ARTISTIC TALENTS

 At the age of 5, he began to make sketches with his pencil and mould in clay and wax

 He made a religious banner during the town fiesta

 He loved to ride on a spirited ponyand take long walks with his dog “Usman”

First poem of Jose Rizal

- His mother, Theodora, encouraged him to write poems

- At the age of 8, he wrote a poem in the native language entitled

“Sa aking mga Kababata” (To My Fellow Children)

- The poem revealed his earliest nationalistic sentiments

First Drama by Rizal

- He wrote a tagalog comedy which was stagedin a Calamba festival

- A gobernadorcillo from Paete purchased the manuscript for P2

RIZAL AS BOY MAGICIAN

- Learned various tricks

- Read many books on magic and attended the performances of the famous magicians of the world

- He revealed his wide knowledge of magic in El Filibusterismo

- He also gained knowledge on manipulatinmg marionettes

Lakeshore Reveries

- Used to meditate the unhappy situation of his country

- At a young age, he was aware of the injustices and cruelties experienced by his fellows

- He made a vow that he will avenge all the victims

WHAT COULD BE THE INFLUENCES ON THE HERO’S BOYHOOD?

1. HEREDITARY INFLUENCE

- inherent qualities from his ancestors and parents

2. ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCE

- favorable surroundings stimulated his talents

3. AID OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE

- predestined to be the pride and glory of his nation

EARLY EDUCATION IN CALAMBA

Rizal had his early education in Calamba and Binan

4R’s – Reading, wRiting, aRithmetic and Religion with memory method

Theodora Alonso

= Rizal’s mother was his first teacher

Tutors

1. Maestro Celestino

2. Maestro Lucas Padua

3. Leon Monroy (former classmate of Rizal’s father)

In Binan, Laguna

- Rizal was accompanied by his brother Paciano

- He lodged to his aunt’s house

- The night when they arrived, Rizal was already homesick. He went sightseeing with his cousin, Leandro

Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz

- Teacher of Jose Rizal in Binan

First School Brawl

- Jose met the school bully, Pedro, and they wrestled in the classroom

- After that, Andres Salandanan challenged him to an arm-wrestling match

Question: Was Rizal quarrelsome in nature?

END OF SCHOOLING

 Saturnina sent a letter to Rizal informing the latter that a steamer, Talim, would take him to Calamba
(1870)

 Arturo Camps, a friend of his father, took care of him

Factors that Awakened Rizal’s Nationalism

 MARTYRDOM OF THE GOMBURZA

 INJUSTICE TO HERO’S MOTHER

Chapter 4 Scholastic Triumphs at Ateneo de Manila(1872-1877)

Ateneo Municipal

- college under the supervision of the Spanish Jesuits

- bitter rival of the Dominican-owned San Juan de Letran

- formerly known as EscuelaPia (Charity School), a school for poor boys in Manila which was established
by the city gov’t in 1817

- known today as Ateneo de Manila

Rizal Enters Ateneo

June 10, 1872

 Jose with Paciano went to Manila to take the examinations at San Juan de Letran. Gladly, he passed yet
his father changed mind and decided to send Jose to Ateneo instead.

 Upon their return to Manila, Jose matriculated at Ateneo Municipal. Fr. MaginFerrando, the college
registrar, refused to admit him for 2 reasons:

- late registration

- sickly and undersized for his age

 However, upon the intercession of Manuel Xerxes Burgos, the nephew of Fr. Burgos, he was reluctantly
admitted at Ateneo. He adpted the surname Rizal because the family name, “Mercado” had come under
suspicion of the Spanish authorities since Paciano Mercado was known to them as Jose Burgos’ favorite
student and friend.

 Rizal boarded outside Intramuros which was owned by Titay who owed the Rizal family an amount of
P300.

Jesuit System of Education

- More advanced than any other colleges in that priod

- Trained the students with rigid discipline and religious instruction

- Degrees offered: Bachelor of Arts, agriculture, commerce, mechanics and surveying

- Students hear mass in the morning and classes were opened and closed with prayers

Students were divided into 2:

A. Roman Empire – consists of the internos (boarders) – red banner

B. Carthaginian Empire – consists of the externos (non-boarders) – blue banner

Positions:

EMPEROR

TRIBUNE

DECURION

CENTURION

STANDARD-BEARER

Challenge: asking questions – 3 mistakes, one loses his position

Uniform: rayadillo, later became famous for it was adopted as the uniform of Filipino troops during the
days of the 1st Philippine Republic

Rizal’s 1st Year (1872-1873)

Jose Bech – first professor of Rizal

Rizal was an externo, at the end of the line since he was a newcomer. But at the end of the month, he
became an emperor and was given a prize – a religious picture

Rizal took private lessons in Spanish at Santa Maria Isabel College during noon recesses. (P3 for those
extra Spanish lessons but it is money well spent.)
He didn’t try hard enough in his studies on the next half of the year because there he resented remarks
of his professor. He placed second at the end of the year although his grades were all excellent.

Summer Vacation (1873)

He returned to Calamba but didn’t enjoy his vacation because his mother was in prison. Without telling
his father, he went to Santa Cruz and visited his mother.

Rizal went back to Manila and this time he boarded inside Intramuros owned by an old widow, Dona
Pepay.

2nd Year in Ateneo (1873-1874)

Rizal became the emperor, awarded with a gold medal

He had new classmates from Binan, who had been his classmates also in the school of Maestro
Justiniano.

Prophecy of Mother’s Release

Dona Teodora had a dream and Rizal interpreted that saying that she would be released from prison in 3
months’ time. The prophecy actually came true just like the story of Joseph in the bible.

Teenage Interest in Reading

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas – Rizal’s first favorite novel

He was impressed by Edmond Dantes heroism and adventures

Universal History by Cesar Cantu – historical work

Travels in the Philippines by Feodor Jagor – Rizal was impressed in the book because of a) Jagor’s
observations of the defects of Spanish colonization and b) Jagor’s prophecy that Spain would lose the
Philippines and that America would come to succeed her as colonizer.

3rd Year in Ateneo (1874-1875)

Rizal was happy to see his mother again as a free woman

He still had excellent grades but he only won a medal in Latin. He was beaten in Spanish by a naturally-
speaking Spaniard.

4th Year in Ateneo 1875-1876)

Rizal became an interno

Fr. Francisco de Paula Sanchez inspired Rizal to write poetry and to study harder. Rizal considered him his
best professor in Ateneo. He described Fr. Sanchez as “a model of uprightness, earnestness and a love
for the advancement of his pupils.” He topped all his clasmates and won 5 medals at the end of school
term

Last Year in Ateneo (1876-1877)

Rizal excelled in all his subjects. The most brillianAtenean of his time, truly the “pride of the Jesuits”

Commencement Day – March 23, 1877

Rizal was only 16 years old then, received the degree of Bachelor of Arts, with highest honors.

Before the graduation, he fervently prayed at the chapel and said “ I commended my life to the Virgin so
that when I should step into that world, which inspired me with so much terror, she would protect me